Trial complete: electric vehicles can work in Australia

Tombie · 23rd February 2015, 05:50 PM

Until there's nuclear power to generate the smoke in the wires, and until the range is 1,000km+ I doubt they'll take off in a big way.

A "swap-n-go" battery system may go a long way to sorting this out...

But on some trips I drive to the city, do 200km and drive home - that's 1000km in a day.

No time to wait 3.5 hours for a zap!

**Blknight.aus** · 23rd February 2015, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by PhilipA

If they ever got down to comparable prices as petrol vehicles.

GM has just abandoned Lithium batteries and gone back to Lead Acid for the Volt, so maybe there are some new tech breakthroughs in lead acid.

Remember the government virtually gave away LPG conversions for many years and that there is a real cost of operation advantage.

Yet Ford sold hardly any LPG only Falcons even with operating cost advantage and a wide network.

Regards Philip A

I suspect that it's because Lithium batteries are still an evolving technology where as all the foibles of lead acid is well and truely sorted...

and the next generation of batteries that going to replace lithium is just round the corner and if the whispers are tauted to pack a similar energy density to the lithium but have better heat and charging characteristics.

IM giving some very erious consideration to doing an electric conversion on fozzy for his next eoulion using a small air cooled diesel to extend the range or provide extra go when needed most

**loanrangie** · 24th February 2015, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by goingbush

The all electric 4x4 Bremach t-Rex 6.0 ton has been on the market in USA for some time Bremach Motors USA, electric truck

it also comes in 6.5L V8

Was that copied off the Iveco daily ? site still says they are not available yet.

**Mick_Marsh** · 24th February 2015, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Jitterbug

As a multiple car household and living in the city, I could definately see a place for an electric car in my garage. Untill things change drastically it could never be my only car.

Ditto.
A fellow I know just bought a Tesla.

It is a really nice car. I mean really, really nice.
He bought it to use around town. With regenerative breaking, it will perform that function marvelously. It's got most of the traveling requirements covered but traveling interstate, as I often do, the range falls rather short.

**loanrangie** · 24th February 2015, 09:34 PM

The Tesla has just about got it right, i dont understand why they havent fitted a generator into each front hub and solar panel into the roof ?

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**Mick_Marsh** · 24th February 2015, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by loanrangie

The Tesla has just about got it right, i dont understand why they havent fitted a generator into each front hub and solar panel into the roof ?

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I hear they are already developing a wind turbine for the aerial.

**loanrangie** · 24th February 2015, 10:13 PM

It'll be made in mehico though.

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**Mick_Marsh** · 18th April 2018, 12:23 PM

The electric vehicle revolution will bring problems of its own - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

**goingbush** · 18th April 2018, 12:31 PM

MOST Australians have a daily commute less than 35km even in regional areas,
NO new infrastructure needed, charge at home.

https://bitre.gov.au/publications/2015/files/is_073.pdf

**Homestar** · 18th April 2018, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by goingbush

MOST Australians have a daily commute less than 35km even in regional areas,
NO new infrastructure needed, charge at home.

https://bitre.gov.au/publications/2015/files/is_073.pdf

Agreed, and this would work for SWMBO almost all of the time and I'd love to be able to buy here one, but she does make the odd big trip too, so having one would mean we'd still need a convensional vehicle. For example, a trip in 2weeks time will see me taking the van around 300KM behind the Hilux and SWMBO is meeting me there the next day for a couple of nights before driving home - I hear what everyone is about to say about charging it while we are there, but we won't be near a powerpoint - about 20KM from one, so in that scenario, we'd have to faff around for most of a day to make that work and for a 2 night excursion, that is hardly practical. It's not the only situation she would encounter that wouldn't work either. If you only have a car to commute in, then 100% I'd go for it. People will bring up the 'you're just charging it with dirty fossil fuels anyway at home' argument but doing this produces only 45% of the emmissions than burning petrol to do the same job, so while not perfect, it is a good start and heaps cleaner than burning dinosuars directly in the vehicle.

When I can buy an electric car that can get a GENUINE (not factory rated as they are miles off with their estimates) 600 to 700KM on a charge and cost the same as a fossile fuel guzzler, I'm there. Not sure when that will happen but I bet my next car for her in around 3 1/2 years time will still be petrol. Maybe the one 5 years after that, or the one 5 years after that, but I doubt it to be honest. I think Hydrogen makes more sense in the long run, battery tech is near it's limit, so there won't be 'the next big thing' here - Lithium is about the most reactive element that can be used in a battery and you can see that these themselves have stability issues if not correctly cared for. I think electric tech is brilliant, but on its own, it isn't the magic bullet people think it is. It can't solve everything.

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